Doctor cut my medicine off

Hi, I haven't posted in a long time. I called my pharmacy 2 days ago so they could fax my doctor for a refill for the hydrocodone I take. I have been on the same amount for years and have it refilled every 2 weeks. Well today was the day I ran out,(as it should have been). when I checked at the pharmacy it hadn't been refilled. I called the clinic and the nurse said he didn't want to refill it until he saw me again, which he couldn't do till Monday. If he wanted to see me why didn't they say something before this. Know I don't have anything till I see him and am really starting to feel bad. Even the pharmacist agreed with me. Any ideas?

How long ago was since you have last seen your doctor? Mine sees me every three months unless I have to see him for a problem or another reason. I think that they want to show that you have been to their office for a visit and are making sure that things are still going ok with the meds they are prescribing. I am not sure if it is a law or regulation but I would bet on that they have to file paper work to show that you are going for regular visits. Did you ask the nurse why he wanted you to come in? I am not sure if they are there on Saturday but if so you could call and tell her that you are out of medicine as this is your normal refill time and could they do anything for you before you can get there on Monday to see the doctor.
[This Message was Edited on 03/12/2010]

Hi Pepples, yes it has been about 6 months and probably time that I go in. It's fine that they want to see me, but not after my meds are all gone. I made the appt. as soon as I knew (today) and also did what you said as to just give me enough to make it thru till the doc. visit. She said she would call back, but the was 6 hours ago and they close in less than an hour. Can the doctor do that?

gtpgirl - this has happened to me too - more often than I would like to say.

What my doc did was prescribe me just enough, JUST ENOUGH, to last me until I saw him next - even if it were only 6 pills...enough to get me through until I saw him.

Maybe call and propose this to your doc.

aussiewoman - I have to disagree with your post a bit. My doctor almost ALWAYS phones in a prescription for me. The only time he doesnt is like I stated before - when I havent seen him for a bit, but then he phones me in a few to get me by until I see him.

As long as I see him regularly, he phones in everything for me - including my narcotic (a 20-day count too).

Don't feel bad about the refill problem. There was no way that you could know the doctor was going to have you come in if you were not told. And you are right, you should have been told before you ran out of medication. Before I leave my doctors I always check with him and double to check to see when I should come back. I also also look at the prescriptions and that usually will tell me when I have to see him again. I make my appoint about 2 weeks before I need a refill just in case of any problems.

My doctor will also call in prescriptions for me if needed.

Also just a side note, check your meds before you leave the pharmacy. I just got mine refilled and I get two prescriptions. I didn't check then and then the next day I don't know what made me do it but I said I am going to count them. I did and they shorted me 30 pills in each prescription. I thought I was going to be screwed when I called the pharmacy but luckily they gave me the extra 60 pills without any problems.

Thanks for all your replies.After calling the doctors office about 5 times yesterday, the nurse called back and said he would give me 1 refill. And to make sure I keep my appointment for Monday. I said of course, whenever they want to see me, I make an appt. and come in. Usually, when it's time for a check on my meds, the doctor faxes the pharmacy and has them put it on refill. It just made me so mad and upset when I called in like normal for my refill a few days ahead of time and the day I needed them, I was told I couldn't get them until I saw the doctor who couldn't see me till Monday. They have never done that before. But at least I have what I need now and am more comfortable. My husband is taking me there Monday and the doc. and us will have a big talk so this doesn't happen again. Hopefully.

It depends on the doctor and the policies put in place in each clinic, and also what medication is being refilled. Here in BC I've had no problem getting refills for pain meds for my dad over the phone when he was unable to travel to the doctor's office due to a back injury. Mom was on blood thinners recently for six months and would phone in whenever she needed refills.

I don't know if it is in place yet, however, the BC gov't is going to start allowing pharmacists to refill some prescriptions without checking with the doctor first. The idea is to cut down some of the workload for the doctors.

I told my doc you know I cannot get in today or this week and if it is stopped abruptly.
You could have really bad problems. If I tell nurse or doc about seizures if stopped cold turkey.
The doc will call some in till I get there or they fit me in.

Hi ..this might sound a bit harsh but I need to say it becuz I have been through similar problems when I used to take Vicodin or Percocets for my FM pain. --- As I read your posts I feel a sense of "used to be me" moment. --- When you are so used to taking the pain meds and you run out and it's time (or maybe not time) for your refills and your doc or pharmacy screws up somehow and you feel you have no way of getting your pain meds..you start to get an "uneasy" feeling and you're not going to get your meds and that you're going to freak out. It's funny how when it comes to pain meds (especially the narcotics) you (or we) will make 10,000 calls and try 10 billion different ways to get them! And nothing else matters until you get them after all that work and you feel relieved and at ease again...until the next time. I no longer take pain meds ie; vicodin/perks since my doc would give me 100 percocets every 2 weeks and I'd have to always go to the office (and I would in the cold,snow,rain or whatever) to pick up my script at the office which is about 30 minutes away from me.
Now I am on Methadone for my pain. It began as a way to detox from percocets which I was taking more than prescribed due to the fact that they are addicting and those pain meds have a history of a rollercoaster effect...pain relief for only 4 hours..then take another..pain again..take another..so on and so on. Pain meds for me suck! I am now using the Methadone for pain relief and the difference from the vikes or perks is the lasting power. Methadone has a 12-24 hour pain lasting period. BIG difference! And no ups and downs. Granted I have to go to a clinic right now until I go to my new doc soon so he can script me the meds but I just wanted to let you know I know EXACTLY how you feel when it comes to not being able to get your PAIN MEDS! I hate to say this but.......it might get ugly down the road. Sorry..but I have been there/done that and I can see and feel very strongly what is going on with you and your doc and mostly becuz you felt the need to post about not being able to get your pain meds. It MIGHT get crazy...just be careful please?

Have A Nice DAY!

daytrippersoul x.

Where i live in NY i guess its a state law, narcotic drugs can not be called in and can only be given on a monthly script basis, so i have to go to the Dr every month, now he wants to cut me off after being on 30 mg of percocet for a year for Fibro, arthritis and degenerative disc disorder and a few bulging discs. I have very chronic daily pain. I think because so many people are selling these pills now, Dr's are putting the breaks on giving them out because they don't want their license taken away, which isn't fair to a person with documented reasons for needing this medication.

The problem in this situation is that if you called in your refill ahead of time, then the office notified the pharmacy that they couldn't fill it - your Dr.s office should have called you and requested you come in before you run out (as soon as they got the fax from the pharmacy).

No one in pain wants the surprise when they go to pick up their medication that it isn't there.
I'm glad that it turned out okay for you. My Dr. never even told me when to come back in. I used to just make an appointment at least every 8 weeks to check in with her and let her know how I was doing.

Here, Dr's can call in scripts for a certain class of Narcotics - Vicodin, percocet etc. can be called in.

Pebbles makes a great point about counting your pills. I wish a person could do it right there before you even get home. I get a prescription for Soma. My Dr. is very kind and always gives me the maximum amount allowed per day (4) so that I don't have to fill it at exactly 30 days and I can save a little money on what I pay.

Well the last couple of months, the pharmacy has been giving it to me in the bottle that they get it in. They take out the cotton, then add the extra pills.

Let me add first, that WE (because my husband helps keeps track of my meds) keep a checklist of all of my meds and what time I take them, every day. We have a weekly sheet. The Soma was always coming up that I would be out way too soon ( not sooner than 30 days) but they should've lasted a lot longer.

This month, it came in the normal bottle that your RX's normally come in. 30 days would have been today and I still have a quarter of the bottle full. Haven't changed anything in how/when I take them. My husband and I both looked at the bottle and commented how the last couple of months in that other bottle they always seemed short. Question though - when you call them, do they believe you?

Last week, we actually got someone else's prescription with mine. Same last name. My husband didn't notice cause sometimes he doesn't know if a Dr. has recently added/called in something. Poor other guy that really needed his anti-depressant. Good thing it wasn't the other way around. He would've gotten mine had he picked up first!

I also had another situation about 5 years ago. Instead of putting my prescription in a bigger bottle, they would sometimes (twice) put them in two smaller bottles. On the outside, printed it would always say "1 of 2" or "2 of 2". Well I had my Dr. appt this one day and got my script for my refill. No problem, took it to the pharmacy, (back when I used to go). The pharmacist looked at me and said "I'm not filling that, you can't fill it til...." It was 15 days later. I happened to have my current prescription that had that days pills in it. It was a small bottle that NO WAY IN HE!! my full prescription could have fit in and it was obvious. There was no "1 of 2" or "2 of 2" written on the bottle and quite a coincidence that it was exactly 15 days. (one bottles worth)

I was actually more upset that he didn't believe me, or was almost accusing me of something...like DOUBLING my dose?? right. The other girl in the pharmacy was very sympathetic (even shook her head when she saw my bottle)but she said he was the manager and couldn't do anything.

I immediately called my husband and asked if he remembered if they gave him two bottles or one. Of course he couldn't remember. My Dr. even called to approve it and the pharmacy said No. My Dr even called other pharmacies and none would fill. I was PI$$ED that they had made the mistake and I was not only paying for it, but it made me feel 'dirty'.

Thankfully my pain wasn't too bad at the time and I made it through the weekend actually just fine. On Monday I got a prescription for Tramadol, which helped when my pain got bad. well it took the edge off.
Since then, the other managers at this pharmacy have been extremely nice and kind to me (I've only been there maybe 4 times, but I've called several times) and to my husband - oh they love him.

My goodness...sorry, once again, I'm typing away....someone stop me.... =)

PS My current Dr. never wants me to run out - she knows it's dangerous and would be extremely uncomfortable.
[This Message was Edited on 03/13/2010]

Again, thank you all for your input. After so many years of trying different medication for different problems, my doctor and I seemed to arrive at a combination that kept all my problems under control. Pain, from different problems, Type 1 diabetes, high blood pressure, disc problems and nerve damage in my back, hips and legs. I was just so angry when out of the blue, the doctor had the nurse call and say he couldn't refill my meds until he saw me. I would have come in whenever he wanted, but he waited till I was completely out to tell me this. Even the pharmacist said that would be very dangerous and to call the doctors office to tell them how urgent it was. When I'm in pain it effects everything else in my body. I couldn't eat, but my blood sugar was just under 400. At least he finally gave me a refill to get me thru the weekend. I thought I was going to spend the weekend in the hospital! Thanks for listening to me.

aussiewomen, that's what I want to find out. I'll come in whenever they want to see me. But don't wait or change the rules and when I'm completely out, then tell me to make an appt.

I think that all that Shari was disagreeing to was that your experience in AB doesn't necessarily apply to all of Canada.

gtpgirl,

I know all too clearly how the panic sets in when you're suddenly faced w running out of narcotc pain meds. Our bodies cannot help but go into a tailspin when they have become dependent on these meds,....not to mention the pain involved.

Like others said, it is very dangerous to just go cold turkey...it can be life threatening. Especially with the various health problems you have in addition to the fibro monster!

Daytripper made some good points, as difficult as it is to hear it. I am in the midst of constant misery because I quit my pain meds 5 wks ago. I weaned myself down on my doses of Norco and Methadone for a month, then went inpt and detoxed another wk on Suboxone. I thought I was going to die, still feeling terrible after 5 wks of being totally narc free.

But, I also had the fear of dying from taking the narcotics. I had to keep increasing my doses over a 3 yr period, and sometimes went over my limit for the day due to rebound pain. Right before I detoxed, I was starting to lose control...Not a good feeling, and I was constantly thinking of when I could take my next dose. I became very physically dependent on them, I didn't really realize how much until I decided to detox.

Please, don't misunderstand my post, I DO NOT have any issues w people taking these meds in order to have a better quality of life. I did it for 3+ yrs, and I may eventually go back on them. This is a subject near and dear to my heart right now, and I just wanted to share my experience. Anything to educate anyoe that's in the same boat so to speak....I am currently in bed 90% of the time and only have Tylenol, Advil and Celebrex to "help" (not helping at all really) me w the pain.

I would probably consider going back on the Methadone because it is so long lasting and I never needed to take it more often than once a day. I never took the higher dose that my doc recommended, only half of what he originally prescribed and I never took any extra. I did sometimes end up taking extra Norco tho, it only worked 4 hrs max and ramped up my pain levels.

Anyway, this pain med issue really is nasty for those of us w chronic pain. I have read here that pts sometimes have to take breaks in order to counteract the increased tolerance that is developed. That's what I'm thinking will most likely be my case, eventually going back on them if my doc will let me. But first I want to try Cymbalta or Savella, I have an appt tomorrow and will discuss this w my PCP doc.

I hope you're feeling better, it's no fun to have to put up w all the politics involved regarding narc prescriptions. I had to change pharmacies at one point because the pharmacist was always lecturing me on the dangers of narcotics for chronic pain...grrr. We do what we have to do to be able to LIVE our lives......I know now, that without my pain meds....................... I'm NOT LIVING !

Have a nice, painfree day. We all deserve that!..........xoxoHermit
[This Message was Edited on 03/14/2010]

Hi again, I will let you all know tomorrow what the doctor has to say. Gentle hugs to all of you.

It's not right for them to not refill a med that you need. Don't they understand that when we are used to taking a med for our pain and run out that it's not good at all on our bodies and minds? I myself take hydrocodone, and am allowed to refill it every 10 days. On a few occasions the pharmacy's stupid computer told them that they couldn't fill it until the next day, when I would count out the days to them and explain that it was the 10th day, they told me, "well, I can't fill it because the computer tells me I can't". What a bunch of bull!!! The few times it's happened, I had to call my doctor, explain it all to them, and then they would have to call the pharmacy to authorize them to fill it.
I hope when you see your doctor he gets the message that the way he did you was so not right!

loto

Sometimes if the pharmacy screws up my prescription for hydrocodone and I have to practically beg or have my doctor get involved to tell the pharmacy to fill my script, I feel like they (the pharmacy) thinks I'm some drug addict or selling my pills. I hate being made to feel that way.
I would never ever sell or give my pain meds away. A good friend of mine who has chronic shoulder pain asked me a few times if she could buy a couple of pills to get her through, and I refused. I didn't come straight out and tell her why I wouldn't, I just told her I didn't have enough. So, I definitely would never do something like that!

Hi everyone. Well, I just got back from the doctor. Everything is straightened out. Hopefully. They said on any medication they want 4 to 5 days ahead of time to get to it. I called 2 days ahead of time and he wasn't there that day. As I said before, he finally gave me a refill last Friday late afternoon and I made the appt. for today. I don't drive, so my husband took off of work to take me in. As far as my pain meds, he wants to see me every 6 months, regardless if he's seen me for something else between then. I will look up 5 months from today and mark my calender to call and see of he wants to see me soon for a drug review. That, plus calling 5 days ahead of time when I'm out of pills should take care of things. I do have to go in Wed, morning for a fasting lab work, which is do. Thanks again for listening to me!